


your hand is resting next to mine

by thegirlofsmarts



Series: widojest week 2020 [7]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, F/M, brief mention of Molly's death, they got two kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:42:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25194109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegirlofsmarts/pseuds/thegirlofsmarts
Summary: The future is bright, and it’s never too late for later.
Relationships: Jester Lavorre/Caleb Widogast
Series: widojest week 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1803091
Comments: 2
Kudos: 41
Collections: Widojest Week 2020





	your hand is resting next to mine

**Author's Note:**

> prompt: "i'll tell you later"  
> title: fire and the flood - vance joy

“Momma, you _told_ me the next time we were here, you’d let me try the black moss cupcake!” the little human child whined, tugging at the skirt of her mother’s dress with a very pouty look she inherited from her, the same curves to her face as she. Jester smiled, her fangs flashing for only a second before she scooped her daughter up into her strong arms with one smooth motion.

“If you can pronounce the city name, I’ll let you try it,” she bargained and almost burst out laughing when her daughter’s face darkened at her own forgetfulness. Hearing a _psst_ , she turned and saw Caleb try to grab her daughter’s attention. “Hey, don’t help her!”

“Who, me?” he grinned at her and she tapped him teasingly on the arm with her tail, sticking her tongue out. “I wasn’t doing anything.”

“Uh huh, sure,” she drily responded, but she was already over it when they walked into the familiar pastry shop, her tail already swishing excitedly behind her. She glanced at her daughter still in her arms, now looking excitedly at the display case with eyes as big as saucers. “You got it yet, Anna?”

She saw Caleb shuffle “sneakily” to whisper conspiratorially to her and she let him, pretending not to notice by exaggeratedly looking the other way. “Uso— Utho? Uthodurn!”

“Good job!” she praised, winking at her husband who flushed and merely looked away instead. “Now, are you _sure_ you want to try the black moss? There are a lot of flavors, you know!”

She nodded firmly, a hard look in her soft, barely freckled face. “Everyone always says how good it is, but you never let me try it so I wanna try it!”

“I never let you try it because I know you’re going to get addicted and get black moss everywhere, so you have to _promise_ me you won’t, okay? Or I’m grounding you from pastries.” She sputtered, but immediately quieted at Jester’s raised eyebrow. “Pinky promise?”

Jester stuck her pinkie out and Anna wrapped hers firmly around, squeezing it for dear life until she lost her seven-year-old strength and let go, a habit she picked up from Beau that she applied from anything between bone-crushing hugs to handshakes to pinky promises. She didn’t mind so much _now_ since it was more endearing at such a young age, but she feared the day she would take actual damage from a hug from her daughter. “When do we get to see Mave? We’re seeing him later today, right? We should get him one too! Do you think he’d like black moss, too, or should we get him a weirder flavor— do they have weirder flavors?”

Jester didn’t reply to any of that right away, only setting her down as she chanced a look at Caleb, who only smiled and quietly gave a small wave. “Yes, we’re seeing Mave later today— he’s been on that retreat with Uncle Caduceus, remember? We’ll just get him a black moss one so if he doesn’t like it, you can eat it, okay?”

Anna nodded excitedly and Jester went and bought a whole dozen of cupcakes instead of just the two, figuring there was nothing wrong with some light snacking and she’s sure Caduceus wouldn’t mind a moss cupcake in the slightest. She stuffed one in her mouth, turning around to announce they should start moving only to see Anna on Caleb’s lap, animatedly telling a story as he nodded and provided little commentary, brushing through a few tangles in her hair. Her heart swelled at the sight as she neared, her daughter breaking off mid-story as her face brightened. “You’re back! I was just telling Papa about this really cool fight Auntie Beau was in with one of the Cobalt people! She was like— kapow! And they were like— oh no! And then she went— pop, pop! And they were like— _auuugh_!”

Jester only laughed at how she accompanied the story with voice pitches and flying elbows and fists, very nearly punching her father in the face, before she slid off and skipped ahead of them excitedly, her dark blue hair springing with each step. Jester muttered to Caleb as he stood up: “Do you think we should tell Beau that our daughter is starting to reenact her sparring matches or just let it happen?”

“Annaliese will be fine, _mein liebchen_ ,” he answered softly, pressing a chaste kiss to her lips and distantly tasting the black moss cupcake before pulling away with a fond look on his face. “Besides, her storytelling skills are fun.”

“You almost got punched!” she teasingly pointed out, biting into her half-eaten cupcake and offering it to Caleb, who took it shyly and took a small bite maybe half of what she took. “Multiple times, if I may add.”

“No difference between her and Bearegard, _ja_?” She rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively before taking his hand in hers as they walked out of the shop, their daughter preoccupied with a passing vendor selling various things with no real theme other than they all seemed to be viable spell components. His hand subconsciously drifted to his own components back and felt a momentary sense of tension that was quelled when he touched it. One could never be too careful. “What’s caught your eye, Annaliese?”

“The gold dust they’re selling is so pretty!” she answered excitedly, her eyes barely tall enough to see over the dingy table haphazardly set up with wares. There was a light dusting of gold in her hair and her face that made her sparkle in the sun. “Can we buy some?”

“To cast spells?” Caleb asked, confused. Jester nudged his arm and instinctively passed her the cupcake he had still only taken one bite out of, but that was fine by him. She took it easily, almost by a habit formed from many pastries shared between the two of them. “Can you do that already?”

“Of course not, Papa!” she answered, her face not losing any sparkle or excitement. “Just to have— it makes me look all sparkly and glittery— like a princess!”

 _You already do._ It seemed forever ago.

“ _Ja_ , okay,” he answered after a quick look to Jester to see if that was okay, who smiled at him before stuffing the last of the cupcake in her mouth. “One moment, okay?”

Anna cheered excitedly, then proceeded to badger her mother for a cupcake, who was now engaged in messing around in pretending she didn’t know what she was talking about until she gave in and gave her a cupcake she was reminded to eat slowly and not get everywhere. By the time the cupcake was given, the gold dust was purchased and kept safe at his hip where a bag of gold dust not unlike this one once sat all the same. The same thing seemed to have run through Jester’s mind. “Do you remember the last time we came across gold dust?”

“You mean when you bought me some and told me specifically to use it on pranks?” he asked with a teasing side smile. “ _Nein,_ of course not. What are you talking about?”

“You’ve got a perfect memory, don’t even,” she argued with a tongue stuck out at him playfully. Her gaze darted forward for a moment to keep an eye on Anna, who was just walking ahead of them and carefully eating the cupcake. “Remember what you said?”

“Well, I’ve got a perfect memory, so _ja_ , I do,” he teased right back, turning so he could see more of her radiant self. “Do _you_ remember what I said?”

“What I remember is you telling me that you’d tell me later and then you never really told me later and it just never came up again and I kind of totally forgot about it until now because our daughter just mentioned the gold dust and stuff and so were you ever going to tell me what it is you wanted to tell me later?” She took a deep breath, most of that being said in one breath, a surprising feat that made Caleb give her a praising look. He pondered it, staring at her with a fond stare not unlike the one so many years ago. He twisted the silver wedding band around his finger absentmindedly, her mouth opening slightly to talk before he closed it again.

“I’ll tell you later,” he decided instead, and she gaped at him as he continued to walk.

“ _Cayleb_ , you can’t just do that! C’mon, it’s _later_ already!”

“And it’ll be _later_ later.” He gave her a pointed look and she pouted at him.

“You’re lucky I love you,” she conceded, crossing her arms, but not missing the tender expression in his face.

“Lucky indeed.”

* * *

“Mave! Oh my gosh, you will not _believe_ what I got to eat on the way here!” Anna energetically bumbled towards her older brother, already excitedly bouncing on her heels.

“There is something very jarring about being isolated in a graveyard with a bunch of firbolgs for a week to be shocked back into reality by your little sister,” was all he said before he ruffled his sister’s hair, who swatted his hand away, ducking when he persisted with his other hand. “Mother, Father— glad to see you’re alive.”

A playful twinkle in his bright blue eyes showed his show of being polite and chivalrous was just a show and Jester just rolled her eyes and tugged him by the arms into her, hugging him and swaying under the shade of a tree, careful not to get their horns locked into each other. “Yeah, yeah— I missed you too.”

He laughed and wrapped his arms around her, briefly squeezing until he let go to hug his father, who was glad he seemed alive and well, which is all anyone could’ve asked for. “How was your retreat with the Clays?”

They parted and Jester’s hand easily found its way into Caleb’s, her wedding ring pressing comfortably against his skin. Mave hesitated slightly and rubbed his arms out of anxious habit, still in the somewhat company of Caduceus, who had taken to entertaining Anna with _Thaumaturgy_. “Insightful? Firbolgs are interesting, but they are _very_ different from tieflings.”

“Did you talk to the Wildmother?” Caleb prompted, choosing to ignore his wife’s mumbling about how the Traveler was _way better_ and that _she couldn’t believe her son was choosing to follow the Wildmother instead of his mother’s god, but okay_ and it seemed like Mave was doing the same.

“I did— at least I think so? _Onkel_ Cad said she talks through winds and stuff, but it’s always a little hard to tell if she’s speaking to you or if it’s just a general wind,” he responded, choosing again to ignore Jester mumbling a little louder that _the Traveler wouldn’t be cryptic like that and actually talks to you_ and Caleb felt a smile twitch at his lips.

“Well, I think any progress is good progress,” he offered and Mave smiled appreciatively. He nudged Jester by the shoulder and she handed him a cupcake, one he took and presented easily to their son. “This is your welcome back gift. It’s black moss.”

“Is this what Anna was trying to tell me about?” he asked, taking the gift cautiously and inspecting it with a guarded interest. “It doesn’t look or sound very appealing.”

“It’s _moss_ , Mavey,” Jester insisted, a teasing smile on her face. “I think it would please the Wildmother _very_ much if you ate the moss.”

He shot her a look but took a bite anyways, his face of caution melting into one of pleasant surprise. “Well it sure doesn’t _taste_ like moss.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Maverick Lavorre, are you telling me you ate _moss_ on the retreat?”

His lavender skin flushed to a deep shade of purple and he started to look elsewhere, as if being caught. “No, of course not. I, um, think Anna is calling me. Catch you later!”

He shuffled off and partook in entertaining Anna, begrudgingly giving up half of his cupcake to her and making a big show of it being unfair, but they knew he didn’t mind when they saw the small smile when she beamed at him. “You hear that, _vozlyublennaya_? He said _later_. You ready to tell me?”

“Patience is a virtue, Jester,” he reminded her with a teasing grin. “You’ll live.”

She sighed and rolled her eyes playfully at him. “What, you planning on telling me on my deathbed?”

“You’ll know when you’ll know,” he said instead, not wanting to think about any kind of death right now, even just hypothetically.

“I’m not gonna forget about this, you know?” She gave a pointed look and he only smiled, tucking a curl of hair away behind her ear, gently caressing her horn with a knuckle, his face impossibly fond.

“I know.”

* * *

“Sometimes, I feel like Anna asks for one more story every night,” Jester said as she clambered into bed beside Caleb, who was already under the covers. “I honestly feel like I told her five different stories today.”

“Which ones?” he asked, setting down his book to give her his full attention. She climbed under the covers and tucked herself under Caleb’s arm. “I’m trusting you told her your favorite story?”

“Well, duh, because it’s her favorite too. Who’s gonna argue against a classic turtle story?” She snickered at the memories they’ve collected with all the turtle encounters they’ve had and he smiled, running a hand absentmindedly through her hair, brushing against her horns ever so often. “There’s also the transportation circles story— a favorite, the spa story— that one’s my favorite too, I’m pretty sure I told her the story of setting my parents up again— _also_ a favorite story, and also the story of how we met everyone at the very beginning— which can’t be helped being a favorite too.”

He decided not to comment on how every story she listed was a favorite and decided to focus on how quiet she had gotten. “Do you miss him?”

She only nodded, drawing herself a little closer into him and he placed an arm around her shoulder. “Everyday. Molly was one of the best people I’ve ever met. I didn’t even get to say goodbye, you know?”

“He was family. _Is_. You cannot ever forget someone like that.” Jester was quiet for a little more, and he didn't push her, only rubbing soothing circles into her skin.

“Mave looks so much like him,” she said quietly, and he only hummed in understanding before pressing a kiss to her forehead. “And it hurts when I realize he’s gone all over again, and it’s so unfair of me to compare them and—”

“Hey,” he gently interjected and she came to a slow stop. “It’s okay. At the end of the day, Maverick and Mollymauk are their own people, _ja_? You have not hurt anyone, and our son has become such a capable tiefling. Mollymauk would be honored to be compared to him.”

She kissed him, her lips slanting over his before parting and resting her forehead against his. “Thank you. I’m really happy you married me.”

“Nein, it really should be the other way,” he teased, though there was truth in the way he spoke. “You are an amazing woman who could have had anyone and chose to marry the stinky hobo wizard she met at a tavern. Who knew she’d later choose him to be her groom?”

“Hey, you’re not stinky anymore!” she protested and he chuckled, pressing another kiss softly to her lips. “Speaking of later…”

He smiled, faking a yawn and drawing her face into his chest. “ _Oh_ , I dunno, _liebling_ , it’s getting a little late.”

“Liar,” she said, muffled as she spoke, but she didn’t speak more of the topic. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

He woke to sunlight strea

* * *

ming into the bed, streaking rays of light on Jester’s peaceful face. It was a little early— as it usually was when he woke— and he’d usually start the day early, but _later_ had been on his mind. He pressed his face into his pillow, gently moving a few stray bangs away from her face. She stirred slightly before her eyes very gently opened into tired slits.

“Mmm… Cayleb?”

“Shh, go back to sleep,” he whispered, drawing his hand back to knock against hers knuckle to knuckle softly. “Sorry to have woken you.”

“Is it later yet?” she joked, the corners of her mouth twitching into a smile as her eyes closed again.

_I’ll tell you later._

He smiled fondly at her, a little obscured by the pillow. Quietly, he murmured in the space between them for only them to hear: “I want to tell you I am so, _so_ in love with you, Jester Lavorre. That is my later.”

**Author's Note:**

> and that's the end of wjw! i love their two kids dearly and thought my part in wjw should end on a nice note! mave wasn't really supposed to be paralleled to molly until i was like hm red and blue is purple but yk what is close to that? lavender. and thus a parallel was born. until next time: love yourself and love each other <3!  
> (catch me @thegirlofsmarts on tumblr!)


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